Book-Review-Jacaranda

~~~~~

Jacaranda

by

Mandy Magro

 

Jacaranda was my second Mandy Magro book and turned out to be very similar to Rosalee Station only this time round the story focused on Molly Jones and her daughter Rose.  Rose is the product of a one night stand when Molly was a drunken nineteen year old.  Six years later she is still trying to find Rose’s father while ignoring her long-time friend and mate, Heath.

Eventually Rose’s father, Mark, does return with a rodeo.  Molly and Mark meet up, get together and you will have to read the book to find out what happens.

Jacaranda is not (thankfully) littered with Australian slang to the overpowering extent of Rosalee Station.  The lack of Australian slang made Jacaranda much easier to listen to and earned it an extra star.  However, Jacaranda still is definitely of the ‘chick lit’ genre and does provide a breather from the crime genre which is my choice of reading material.

I would like to hear Ms Magro’s books co-narrated by Louise Crawford and a male narrator.  This would, hopefully, provide better male character voices.  One brief appearance by a male who I thought should have been at least ten years older than the boys actually sounds much younger.

Overall, a light read with some insight into Australia’s Outback.

I rated Jacaranda as a three star audiobook.

I rated

Jacaranda

as a star audiobook.

*****

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Jacaranda

an average of 4.14 stars

from 354 ratings

and 26 reviews.

Jacaranda

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book-Review-Rosalee-Station

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Rosalee Station

(Rosalee Station #1)

by

Mandy Magro

 

Rosalee Station was my first Mandy Magro book and at times I thought it would be my last.  Set in Queensland and outback Rosalee Station it tells the story of Sarah Clarke, her friends and her love life.  I have read several other authors whose work was described as ‘chick lit’; however, Ms Magro has outdone any other (audio or written) chick lit novel.

There were times when I was shaking my head at the juvenile antics of the females in this book. Sarah was twenty-three, however both Sarah and her friends came across as early teens on many occasions.  Similarly several of the boys sounded like old men with their deep, drawling, voices.  This may have been narrator’s interpretation of the way this age group talks and behaves.  If so, it has done nothing to help me enjoy Rosalee Station.  If anything narrator Louise Crawford’s character voices played a large part I relegating Rosalee Station to two star status.

I am not on my own when I lament the overuse of rhyming slang, which at times, reminded me of primary school toilet humour.  I must be getting old!  It is unlikely that international readers would be able to interpret some of the included slang.  For me, the rot began within five minutes of the story when Sarah and boyfriend went down to the dam for a swim and a ‘quickie’ under a gum tree.  I really think Ms Magro did herself a disservice sinking to that level of writing.  As I said I must be getting old!

On that small plus side, and there is one, if you can overlook or enjoy that type of commentary (toilet humour – because it does get worse out at Rosalee Station), you may just enjoy Rosalee Station as a very light look at outback life through the eyes of these Jackaroos and Jillaroos.

I rated

Rosalee Station

as a two star read/audiobook

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers had awarded

Rosalee Station

an average of 4.04 stars

from 336 ratings

and 29 reviews.

Rosalee Station

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

Book Review-Surviving-Ice

Surviving Ice

(Burying Water #4)

by

K. A. Tucker

 

Surviving Ice is the fourth and last of the Burying Water series by K. A. Tucker. 

Surviving Ice is set in San Francisco and features Ivy the prickly tattoo artist from early offerings in the series. 

Yet again Kathleen Tucker writes her novel so that it could be read as a standalone or part of a series.  There is just enough background to tie characters together without overwhelming (series) readers with too much already known information from previous books.

 

In a nutshell, Ivy narrowly misses out on coming to a tragic end and then slowly falls in love with the mercenary who was sent to end her short life.  If required.

 

Surviving Ice also does away with foreign villains and uses home-grown American citizens as villains of the day.

 

.

 

Other Goodreads readers have rated

Surviving Ice

an average of 4.10 stars

from 3,671 ratings and

453 reviews.

***

I think

Surviving Ice

is a solid

read.

Surviving Ice

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

 

 

Book-Review-Until-It-Fades

 

Until-It-Fades

by

K. A. Tucker

***

 

Until It Fades, is another of K. A. Tucker’s standalone novels in which a twenty-four year old waitress with her five year old daughter take the leading roles.

To say Catherine Wright has a strained relationship with her mother would be an understatement.  After leaving home Catherine decides she will not return to her family home no matter hard difficult her life is.  She finds herself working as a waitress in a truck stop.  Her boss sets her up on a blind date and it is while she is returning from this date that she happens across a car which has hit an oak tree.  She manages to free the passenger just before the car explodes.

Naturally, this is the beginning of a romance, which Catherine doesn’t think will last, with Brett, the well known captain of a Canadian hockey team.  For me, the star of this book was Brenna, Catherine’s five year old daughter.  Until It Fades is a light, easy and enjoyable read.

I rated

Until It Fades

as an enjoyable

four star read.

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

Until It Fades

an average of 3.98 stars

from 12,837 ratings

and 1,495 reviews.

***

:

Until It Fades

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 ***

Book-Review-Wild-at-Heart

 

Wild-at-Heart

by

K. A. Tucker

***

Wild-at-Heart, by K. A. Tucker is a sequel to The Simple Wild.  After the death of her father, Wren, Calla returns to Toronto where she tries to recommence her ‘normal’ life.

However her father’s death and no Jonah has left a huge gap in her life.  Finally Jonah turns up, in Toronto, unannounced and asks Calla to move to Alaska.

A log cabin out in the bush is not quite what Calla was expecting and she does have trouble finding her way especially when Jonah is not around.

 

While I enjoyed Wild at Heart as a story the tension between Calla and Jonah did not permit any of the repartee sprinkled throughout The Simple Wild.  I just loved The Simply Wild banter.  In fact it was not until about half way through Wild at Heart that Calla struck up friendships which permitted her to show the cheeky side of her personality.

I rated

Wild at Heart

as an enjoyable

four star read.

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

Wild at Heart

an average of 4.39 stars

from 4,098 ratings

and 865 reviews.

***

:

Wild at Heart

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 ***

Book-Review-The-Simple-Wild

 

The Simple Wild

by

K. A. Tucker

***

The Simple Wild, by K. A. Tucker is a story of reconciliation between father and daughter in the small fictional town of Bangor in Western Alaska.   Calla hasn’t seen her father (Wren) since she was two.  Twenty-four years after her mother left Alaska, Calla receives a message from a total stranger telling her that her father (Wren) is very ill.  That in a nutshell is the beginning of The Simple Wild, a Western Alaska romance.

Upon arriving in Alaska, Calla finds that her Toronto finest is not suitable for the wet muddy conditions Alaska presents.  Calla’s initial meeting with her pilot (Jonah -AKA, The Yeti) is strained, to say the least, and it takes a while before she sees, and understands, Jonah’s true personality.  A similar first encounter with her father ensues.  It is only after this very tentative beginning to Alaskan life that Calla grows to love her father, his friends and in particular the Yeti.

I enjoyed the humour sprinkled throughout The Simple Wild and constantly found myself chuckling at the repartee between Calla and Jonah.

I rated

The Simple Wild

as an enjoyable

five star read.

At the time of writing my review

other Goodreads readers have rated

The Simple Wild

an average of 4.44 stars

from 19,662 ratings

and 3,502 reviews.

***

The Simple Wild

can be purchased online at

Booktopia, Fishpond and Amazon

 ***

Book Review-Chasing-River

Chasing River

(Burying Water #3)

by

K. A. Tucker

 

 

Chasing River is the third of the Burying Water series.  Set in Dublin we follow the adventures of Amber Welles and Ivy.  Ivy could not be more different in attitude and demeanour to Amber.

Having just commenced her European holiday Amber finds herself in some interesting situations in Dublin where schoolmate Ivy is working as a tattoo artist.

In writing Chasing River again Tucker focuses on one character from Burying Water.  This time it is conscientious Amber Welles, the Sheriff’s daughter.  Again there is romance, and villains all mixed together, however, the villains of Chasing River are not Russian but Irish.

 

The one thing I do like about KA Tuckers books is that she introduced all characters in book one and each book thereafter has been about a different character from book one, with just enough ties to the main Burying Water characters to keep the series alive.

As with all Tucker books so far Chasing River was, overall, well-paced and left us want to know more.

The only negative I can think of was what I will term a slow patch where I thought the author was going to relive every single part of earlier Burying Water books.  The background story would be helpful for those readers picking up Chasing River as a standalone novel.

 

I think

Chasing River

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Chasing River

 an average of 4.17 stars

from 4,958 ratings

and 643 reviews

 

Chasing River

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Becoming-Rain

Becoming Rain

by

K. A. Tucker

 

Becoming Rain is the second (of four) in the Burying Water Series and my fourth novel by K. A. Tucker.  Unlike some other authors Tucker has let a respectable amount of time pass between Burying Water and Becoming Rain while still retaining most of original characters at least in the periphery of the plot.

I really enjoyed two things about Becoming Rain.  First, it did not rely on all the same characters and second, it could be read as a standalone novel. While there are references to the main characters from Burying Water they only have cameo appearances in Becoming Rain.  Russian organised crime which, from memory, was alluded to in Burying Water, also plays a major part in Becoming Rain

Becoming Rain features a new heroine and expands the role of one the younger males in Burying Water.   Becoming Rain is again well paced with no obvious lulls in the action.  Was it plausible?  Possibly, possibly not!  However, it was an entertaining read and that is what I look for.  Enjoyment while reading!

I rated Becoming Rain as solid four star read.

I think

Becoming Rain

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Becoming Rain

 an average of 4.18 stars

from 5,560 ratings

and 643 reviews

Becoming Rain

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Burying-Water

Burying Water

(Burying Water #1 of 4)

by

K. A. Tucker

 

Put a very attractive girl, a troubled youth, and the Russian mob together and what do you have?  Answer….Burying Water.

Burying Water, the first book in a series of the same name, is a well-paced romance which combines all three elements to form another enjoyable read from K. A. Tucker.

One rainy night Jesse plays Good Samaritan and stops to see if a fellow driver needs assistance.  HER car has a flat tire.  Jesse changes the tire and receives a big kiss for his effort.

 

Shortly thereafter a customer asks if he would fix an aging classic car.  Jesse jumps at the chance only to discover that the customer, a Russian mobster, is married to the mystery lady.  From there the plot thickens.

Burying Water is written in ‘then’ and ‘now’ chapters.  When I first came upon this style of writing I wasn’t sure that I liked it.  However, in this instance it provides an excellent link in time and a means of unravelling the past and how it links to the present day story line.  To go into any more detail would spoil the plot.

The only other thing I will add is that I often opt for crime books….good guys and bad guys.  Burying Water does include this element, however, while the criminal aspects of the plot are central to the story it is mainly limited to violence and inferred criminal activities.

I have rated Burying Water as a solid four star read.

I rated Burying Water as solid four star read.

I think

Burying Water

is a solid

read.

At the time of writing my review other

Goodreads readers have rated

Burying Water

 an average of 4.15 stars

from 12,165 ratings

and 1,396 reviews

Burying Water

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon

Book Review-Paper-Daisies

Paper Daisies

by

Kim Kelly

I must confess to having read Paper Daisies earlier in the year and have only just decided to write about it…or rather not write about it.

I have read The Blue Mile and This Red Earth, both authored by Kim Kelly.  Both were enjoyable books and I rated each books as four star read.

Paper Daisies commenced at Christmas 1900, whereas This Red Earth was set at the end of World War I and The Blue Mile in the 1930s and World War II

As I said it has been some time since listening to Paper Daisies and I had forgotten the story.  I was beginning to think that I may need to re-read it.  Then in Goodreads blurb I spied those two words.  Berylda Jones.  With just those two words enough of the story came back to realise why I had not previously reviewed Paper Daisies.

This audio version will go down as not my favourite Kim Kelly book.  From memory, the story seemed disjointed and I simply could not get into to it.  After a few chapters I put it away.

Unfortunately I am one of ten readers who have rated Paper Daisies one star book.  For me that is an unfinished book.   Considering around 75% of readers have rated Paper Daisies as with three (or more) stars, it may a better read than an audio book.

I think

Paper Daisies

 

is a

read.

 

At the time of writing my review, other

Goodreads readers have rated

Paper Daisies

 an average of 3.7 stars from

166 ratings and 45 reviews

Paper Daisies

can be purchased on-line at

Fishpond, Booktopia, and Amazon